Thursday, September 21, 2017

The Chemist gets 3.5 Stars {adult lit, mystery, action}

The Chemist by Stephanie Meyer is an adult literature mystery, spy, action novel. 3.5 out of 5 stars in my book review. chemistry, action, strong female characters, clean read, book club, fun read, audiobook, Alohamoraopenabook Alohamora: Open a Book www.alohamoraopenabook.blogspot.com

I have a couple confessions to start with today. 

First, I actually liked Twilight and felt the character development was well done.  Though, the remaining books were downhill for me.  I read them, but they were not as good.  I also watched the first couple movies.  I even ran a half marathon while listening to the Twilight movie.  I highly recommend listening to a movie you know while running a race.  It was fun and helped me keep my pace.    
  
Second, I HATED The Host.  Seriously, it was so long and dragged on and on and on.  I actually stopped reading it twice, but eventually finished the book. 

Third, I was dreading having to read The Chemist for my book club.  I hated The Host and it looked as long as that previously hated book, and I was just not super stoked about reading another Stephanie Meyer book.  In my eyes she was a One-Hit-Wonder.  However, people all have their own opinions.  I know there are some strong Meyer fans.  

Fourth, I was actually surprised with the fact that The Chemist was better than I thought it'd be.  I actually didn't hate it, and I even found parts of the story to be enjoyable.  

The Chemist by Stephanie Meyer gets 3.5 out of 5 Stars from me, and that is surprisingly good for a book I had extremely low expectations for.  All in all, there were several things I liked and several things I didn't like.    

I felt the spy novel based around chemistry was cool and unique; I always loved chemistry. so this was cool.  I liked how the main character was a small girl physically, but she was smart and won a lot of the time.  Brains can most definitely take you places.  I thought Alex's excitement for a common gray car was pretty funny.  I liked the characters, and even found myself liking Val for what she had to offer.  As well, I liked the overall storyline, even with all of it's imperfections.   Honestly, this book exceeded my expectations; it was a fun read with a pretty decent pace. 

Plus, I really enjoyed the epilogue, and especially loved where they ended up moving to.  Love that state! 

I felt the quick attachment Danny had for Alex to be a bit ridiculous; it was a little much a little too soon.  Alex's feelings went from pushing Danny away to truly caring for him seemed abrupt.  I felt some of the action scenes seemed a bit quick and abrupt.  I had to go back and read it again b/c I wasn't sure what happened.  I know action scenes can be hard to write, but it's important to write it well if you are writing a spy/action novel.  For the most part the pacing of the story was well done.  There were a few here and there moments in the book, especially the beginning, that drug a little slow, but overall not too bad.  It's honestly a fun read.       

As far as content is concerned, there were a few swear words, but overall it was a pretty clean read.  

Happy Surprisingly Decent Adult Literature Action, Spy, Mystery reading! 

The Chemist by Stephanie Meyer
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Best For: Adults
Worth a Check Out: Yes.
Buy It or Not: No.
Read Aloud: No.
Book Club Discussion Topics: 
Is the use of chemistry unique in Spy Novels? The Host was a long book, a little drug out in some areas.  Do you feel The Chemist was drug out (no pun intended)? Why are strong female characters so important for women and teen girls to read?  Was the epilogue one of the best parts of the book? Did Meyer write the action parts of the story well, or did it feel rushed and confusing?  Who was your favorite character and why? 



As always, I'd LOVE to hear your thoughts on this read? 

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